Jim Commentucci / The Post-StandardChiefs second baseman Steve Lombardozzi steals second in the first inning of their game against Indianapolis Thursday evening at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse.

Syracuse Chiefs second baseman Steve Lombardozzi was a Central New York boy of summer long before that reference had anything to do with baseball.

Lombardozzi’s paternal grandparents own a house on Owasco Lake in Auburn, and for several summers during his youth he vacationed there.

“It was a blast. Every summer we’d come up once or twice. Swimming. Boating. Fishing,” said Lombardozzi’s dad, also named Steve, who played in the Major Leagues. “We know the Little League fields and the high school fields well. We’d bring a bucket of balls, his equipment, go work out.”

The younger Lombardozzi, promoted from Double A Harrisburg on June 21, has again been living at his grandparents’ house since joining the Chiefs. His performance reflects the comfort level of someone who feels right at home. Lombardozzi, 22, has put the spark back in the top of the order by hitting .431 with 10 runs scored in his first 11 games in Syracuse.

“I knew I was going to stay with my gameplan, my approach,” said Lombardozzi, a 19th-round draft pick by Washington in 2008. “It’s just a mindset, stepping in the box, saying this (pitcher) isn’t going to beat me. I think I’ve always had that inside me. I’ve always been pretty competitive.”

Lombardozzi got a running start on life, even though there was some concern he might not ever run at all. He was born with two club feet, and needed surgery to correct the problem. His dad inked a Nike swoosh logo on each tiny cast, and by the time Lombardozzi was old enough to start playing sports the real sneakers fit like Cinderella’s slippers.

The elder Lombardozzi was winding down a six-year MLB career with Minnesota and Houston when his son arrived. Dad carried a .233 batting average in 446 games, but earned a few moments of glory by hitting .412 in the Twins’ World Series win over St. Louis in 1987.

Lombardozzi was too young to remember hanging out in the Minnesota clubhouse with his father, but the connections dad made on the Twins helped later on. Younger Steve recalls comparing notes with his father’s former teammates, such as Kent Hrbek.

“It’s just fun for me to be able to talk to these guys, hear all the things those guys had to say about hitting, the mental mindset,” Lombardozzi said. “I don’t think there’s one way to do everything. It’s just bits and pieces (of advice).”

Lombardozzi, a natural shortstop who was switched to second in the pros, absorbed it all and has applied it progressively at each of his minor league stops. In Class A, he hit .296 at Hagerstown and .293 with Potomac. In Double A he batted .295 with Harrisburg last year and then went .309 with 16 stolen bases before leaving for Syracuse this season.

“He’s a manager’s dream. He does everything right,” said Bob Boone, assistant GM of the Nationals. “He has a plan for everything, the way he works. If you have extra batting practice, he’s the guy who picks up the balls after he hits. You ask him to squeeze, he does it. You ask him to make the big play, he does it. He’s a real winning player. He’s going to be an outstanding Major Leaguer.”

Dad, who lives in Maryland, is close enough to enjoy it all. He caught six games of a homestand last week, sitting with his parents behind home plate.

“He’ll let me ask the questions first, then he’ll let me know if he has anything,” young Steve said of fatherly feedback.

When Steve, a switch-hitter, came to bat, the elder Lombardozzi moved down along the first- or third-base line to get a better glimpse into his swing. In the first inning of a game against Indianapolis on June 29, Lombardozzi laced a double his first time up.

“If you went item by item, the most striking thing about him is his offense,” dad said. “I just love his swing. It’s so mechanically sound, short, quick. If I had it, I would’ve played 12 years in the big leagues.”

In the bottom of the third of that same contest, Syracuse outfielder Rick Ankiel led off with a double. Lombardozzi, the hottest hitter on the Chiefs, knew he wasn’t going to get anything inside he could pull to second. So he decided on his own to bunt Ankiel to third. Matt Antonelli then lifted a sacrifice fly for the game’s first run.

“When he goes to the big leagues, that job is going going to be his role, moving guys over. He’s figured it out,’’ said Syracuse manager Randy Knorr.

“That’s one step closer to a ‘W.’ That’s the way he plays the game,’’ dad beamed. “What can I do on every pitch to help the team get the W? That’s how he measures success.”

And success is sweet, especially in the morning. Lombardozzi gets back to his grandparents’ place after games too late for a full meal, but grandma Nancy makes sure he has a buffet of goodies to choose from at breakfast.

Sometimes it’s easy to move up and out; other times old ties are tough to cut.

“If he moves out, he says he’s going to miss the (food),” dad said. “She’s making it tough for him to get into an apartment, versus her great cooking.”